Animated motion pictures, such as cartoons or the like, currently enjoy widespread popularity among both children and adults. There are two well-known devices currently employed for presenting animated motion pictures. A first type of device is of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,787,592 entitled "Motion Picture Device" in which a stack of image-bearing sheets or leaves are riffled along one end by the user's fingers to present a series of successive pictures which create a motion picture to the viewer. This type of device requires skill on the part of the user to riffle the sheet ends individually and in rapid succession from the beginning of the stack to the end, which is particularly difficult for children and the elderly. Even if the user possesses sufficient skill to accurately riffle the sheet ends, only the portion of the sheets adjacent the riffled end is displayed rather than the entire sheets. There is a desire for a device for displaying motion pictures which does not require finger coordination on the part of the user to display images in rapid succession, and which displays the entire sheet rather than just the riffled end of the sheets.
A second type of device is of the movie projector type in which a transparent strip of plastic film having a plurality of successive translucent images is employed. The projector has a light which is shined through the film to project the translucent images onto a screen. To produce the effect of a motion picture, a shutter is opened to allow light to pass through a first image on the film to project the first image onto the screen. The shutter is closed, and the film advanced while the shutter is closed, to bring a second image of the film in front of the light source, and then the shutter is again opened to project the second image onto the screen. The shutter is then closed again, and the film advanced again while the shutter is closed, to bring a third image in front of the light, and the shutter then opened again. By repeating this process rapidly, a series of images are successively displayed on the screen to produce a motion picture. However, movie projectors require a light source and relatively expensive film advancing and synchronizing equipment. Movie projectors also require the formation of translucent images on transparent film, and are therefore limited to films which allow the passage of light therethrough. Still further, special markers or other specialized equipment is required to form translucent images on film for use with movie projectors. It is desirable to provide a motion picture displaying device which is inexpensive, does not require a light source or synchronized equipment and which allows the user to draw the images to be displayed with readily available drawing tools such as crayons, conventional markers, or the like.